The King is dead.
FPJ, Fernando Poe Jr., is dead. He was 65. He was "Da King" to many Filipinos. A hero worshipped by the poor and downtrodden.
FPJ always played the role of the hero of humble origins. The heroes'names changed but the roles never did. FPJ's characters almost never swore, was always respectful, was always hard-working. And always poor. His foes never changed too. They were always powerful, always rich and always throroughly corrupt and evil. FPJ was the Filipino Hercules in celluloid mythology.
I guess he felt that he had to carry that burden, that mythology with him. His run for the Philippine presidency was mostly because he felt he had to "save" the nation. I never felt that he was duplicious during the campaigning, only that he was duped by his handlers and his "best friend". If sincerity alone can save the nation, then I believe the Philippines would have become a superpower under his presidency.
There were times I despised him, specially during the last presidential elections. I hated him for having the charisma to command the loyalty of simple folk but lacked the vision to really lead. He was the one being led, I'm afraid, to an end I can only suspect.
My sadness about FPJ and the Filipino people is that they, both of them, never saw the truth of his, FPJ's, movies. The truth in his movies is that any man can be a hero. The movie-goers only saw the superhumaness of FPJ's character, the unmatched fighting skills. FPJ never played a lesser hero, one who can be physically beaten by his foes yet emerges victorious by determination, highlighting the determination required to be truely victorious. In this way, the Filipino psyche was made poorer. The Filipino psyche never matured enough to see that the hero never came from the outside, never saw that the hero came from within. That one man became a hero by his choice. Therefore any and every man (and woman) becomes a hero by choosing to be heroic.
The sadness caused by his death is infectious and I am touched by it despite never being a fan of FPJ. I never saw FPJ as an idol with feet of clay. I saw him as a jar of clay filled with the same pneuma in all of us. Now that clay jar is broken and the pneuma is set free. The King is dead but FPJ is set free.
I find comfort in that.
FPJ always played the role of the hero of humble origins. The heroes'names changed but the roles never did. FPJ's characters almost never swore, was always respectful, was always hard-working. And always poor. His foes never changed too. They were always powerful, always rich and always throroughly corrupt and evil. FPJ was the Filipino Hercules in celluloid mythology.
I guess he felt that he had to carry that burden, that mythology with him. His run for the Philippine presidency was mostly because he felt he had to "save" the nation. I never felt that he was duplicious during the campaigning, only that he was duped by his handlers and his "best friend". If sincerity alone can save the nation, then I believe the Philippines would have become a superpower under his presidency.
There were times I despised him, specially during the last presidential elections. I hated him for having the charisma to command the loyalty of simple folk but lacked the vision to really lead. He was the one being led, I'm afraid, to an end I can only suspect.
My sadness about FPJ and the Filipino people is that they, both of them, never saw the truth of his, FPJ's, movies. The truth in his movies is that any man can be a hero. The movie-goers only saw the superhumaness of FPJ's character, the unmatched fighting skills. FPJ never played a lesser hero, one who can be physically beaten by his foes yet emerges victorious by determination, highlighting the determination required to be truely victorious. In this way, the Filipino psyche was made poorer. The Filipino psyche never matured enough to see that the hero never came from the outside, never saw that the hero came from within. That one man became a hero by his choice. Therefore any and every man (and woman) becomes a hero by choosing to be heroic.
The sadness caused by his death is infectious and I am touched by it despite never being a fan of FPJ. I never saw FPJ as an idol with feet of clay. I saw him as a jar of clay filled with the same pneuma in all of us. Now that clay jar is broken and the pneuma is set free. The King is dead but FPJ is set free.
I find comfort in that.
Labels: the fatman speaks
posted by Grey Colored Glasses at
7:08 PM
1 Comments:
i was never a big fan of FPJ, but it amazes me the kind of charisma and success he had. great post!
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home